The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently held an international exchange and promotion event for rural craftsmen in Beijing as part of the 2025 China Farmers' Harvest Festival. The theme of the event was “Crafting Beautiful Villages Together,” with over 100 rural craftsmen from 27 provinces showcasing their skills and techniques on-site. To nurture the growth of rural craftsmen, related departments have mandated the establishment of a professional standards system and a training and assessment framework, incorporating craftsmen into the national occupational classification dictionary to create career advancement paths for practitioners.
Localities are promoting craftsmen's enthusiasm by holding skill competitions and selecting "technical experts," thus facilitating advancement into management roles. The ‘integration of industry and education’ model is being adopted, encouraging school-enterprise collaborations to implement an “immediate recruitment and enrollment” training model, providing order-based training for technicians. Through mentorship and exhibition exchanges, craftsmen are encouraged to broaden their horizons. Additionally, “capability-based salary” incentives are in place to promote salary growth, ensuring more skilled workers take on managerial positions and achieve both political honors and economic benefits.
The exhibition platform helps craftsmen expand their employment networks, boosting employment opportunities. There is a concerted effort to enhance rural craftsmen's skills, enabling them to possess a multi-skilled profile covering various traditional crafts. In recent years, relevant departments have jointly initiated a rural craftsman nurturing project aimed at uncovering traditional craftsmanship and supporting the development of unique rural handicraft industries. Currently, there are over 130,000 rural craftsmen nationwide, leading to increased employment and income for over 5 million people in rural areas.
Rural craftsmen play a significant role in advancing rural development and represent a vibrant group in telling China's poverty alleviation story. Their exceptional skills, profound cultural heritage, and commitment to benefiting their communities exemplify the spirit of new-age farmers. Regions must build entrepreneurship platforms based on local realities to showcase the capabilities and competencies of rural craftsmen. The international exchange and promotion event serves not only as a platform for skill-sharing among craftsmen but also as an exhibition of the spirit of China's rural craftsmen in the new era.
All regions and departments need to create various levels of collaborative exchange platforms to bolster the confidence and strength of rural craftsmen, encouraging more individuals to take root in rural areas and contribute their energy towards rural revitalization and farmers' economic development. Establishing rural craftsmen stations equipped with shared workspaces, training bases, and digital tools will provide craftsmen with creative environments and technical resources.
A joint mechanism of "government + enterprises + craftsmen" must be established to promote in-depth collaboration between craftsmen and agricultural cooperatives or cultural tourism enterprises. Support for craftsmen to lead specialized enterprises and develop unique handicrafts for each village while expanding sales channels through e-commerce platforms is essential to stimulate their intrinsic motivation.
Over recent years, there has been significant emphasis on nurturing rural craftsmen from the national to the local levels, leading to a sizeable workforce of rural craftsmen. However, there is a continuous need for improvement, both in quantity and quality, requiring practical measures from all levels to inspire rural craftsmen to actively participate in rural revitalization and the economic prosperity of farmers, allowing their abilities to blossom across vast rural landscapes. Efforts must be made to protect and pass on excellent traditional crafts, ensuring the integration of these techniques with modern technology and cultural trends.
Active support for international exchanges and cooperation among rural craftsmen is imperative, guiding them in cross-border skill training, product exhibitions, and cultural exchanges. Fully leveraging the role of rural craftsmen in global poverty alleviation and implementing international cooperation projects for rural craftsmen are vital. In summary, all regions must provide vast opportunities for rural craftsmen to grow and mature through collaboration, unleashing their wisdom and strength in the context of rural revitalization.
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